Thawing Out Frosty
by TheConjuringMind
Summary: When Scott Calvin first arrived at the pole, Bernard was a frigid, grumpy head elf with too much work on his plate. However, Scott, the new Santa, was determined to change this. And so what started out as a thoughtful gesture for a co-worker, somehow turned into a lifelong friendship for the both of them. Bernard & Scott [FRIENDSHIP] centered. Title and summary subject to change.


**A/N - I'm aware that this is terribly out of season, what with the fact that summer has only just ended, and Fall is only just on its way, but I couldn't help myself. I've had this story on my computer for a long time, and it was getting dusty just sitting around, so I figured I might as well post it.  
**

 **This story is centered around Bernard and Scott's friendship, and how it grew throughout the first and second films (though to be honest, it's mostly just the films from Bernard's point of view). It starts off where Scott first arrives at the Pole, and moves on from there.**

 **I'd intended to add scenes we didn't get to see in the first film in order to bridge the gap between it and the second one, but I've mostly left this untouched since way back when I wrote it, so it is currently incomplete. I plan on finishing it sometime this winter (maybe sooner), by adding scenes between them from the second film, but until then this is what I've got.  
**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Santa Clause.**

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"Hey, look! Here comes the new Santa!" Says a cheerful little elf as the sleigh makes its return.

Bernard is skeptical as he walks around the room with his arms clasped behind his back, his eyes looking at those of the younger elves as they gather around the landing sleigh. Even though the old Santa is gone, he quietly ponders if the new Santa will be any better than the last.

When the youngest elves; Marla and Maely look up at the new Santa with excited eyes, Bernard can't help but smile a little as well. He truly hopes that the new man tasked with the job will be more patient and kind than the one before, and that his love for the elves will be genuine.

Bernard watches as the new Saint Nick approaches Larry, and questions him with a confused look on his face. After not receiving a satisfying answer, he then walks over to another, older-looking girl elf with a brown hat and shawl.

"Who's in charge here?" he asks.

"You are!" the girl responds irritably.

Bernard is quick to step in. He doesn't want any of the elves getting on the new Santa's nerves before he gets settled in. Even though the last was terribly rude and disgusting, he thought that perhaps if they were more accommodating, he would've given them a bigger break.

"Hey! Who's causing all the trouble around here?" Bernard questions, giving both of them a once-over.

"He is."

"She is."

The pair say in unison, the new Santa briefly pointing a finger in the elf girl's direction.

"Excuse me, are we on a coffee break?" Bernard asks, waving his hands before resting them on his belt.

"We don't drink coffee." The girl states plainly.

"Then. I. Guess. The. Break. Is. _Over_." Bernard snaps. "Back to work. Thanks."

The young elf walks off in a rather defeated manner, and the new Santa looks over his shoulder to watch her disappear into the crowd of working elves in the distance.

The look he gives seems rather sympathetic, and Bernard can't help but feel a little guilty about making such a fuss over the situation, if only for a second.

"Take it easy on her, will ya? Who _are_ you?"

"I'm Bernard. Nice to meet ya, Santa." The male elf responds, before walking off as well. Scott Calvin, the new Santa, following behind him.

"I'm not Santa!" The man exclaims. "I've had a rough night. There's been dogs barking, guns going off. _Look_ , my back's killing me. Have you ever tried to shove a sea kayak down a chimney? I'm tired of this small talk."

Bernard stops in his tracks, puts his hands on his hips, and turns around to face him.

"Hmm. The other Santa disappeared, right?" He says, half smiling at the man's dimness.

Calvin just stares at him dumbfounded.

 _Well_ , Bernard figures _, if he's that dim then he can't be too bad..._

Bernard started to walk away again.

"Wait a minute. Hey! I know where this is going," Scott says, quickly trailing behind him. "It wasn't my fault. The other guy fell. It was an accident. I've got homeowner's insurance and a good attorney. Not as good as my wife's," he admits. "but let's not open up _that_ wound." He cringes to himself as the pair walks off into a long hallway.

"Hold it a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Scott reached Bernard's shoulder to get his attention, effectively stopping him once again.

"How did you know the other guy was gone?" He asked curiously.

"Can I get you a drink?" Bernard offered instead.

"No, I don't want a _drink_."

" _I'm_ thirsty!" Charlie, Scott's son, replied as he walked up behind him. "And hungry, too."

"Charlie, I thought I told you to stay in the sleigh!" his father reprimanded.

"Who's this?" Bernard asked, eying the young child, his curiosity peaked.

"He-He's..." Scott hesitated for a second, before deciding to respond. "This is my son, Charlie."

"I'm sorry. Charlie, this is...Boo...Buh-Buh..." Scott gestured toward the older elf, who barely kept from rolling his eyes.

"Bernard." He finally chipped in.

"Bernard." finished Scott apologetically.

"Hi, Bernard." said Charlie, offering his hand with a smile.

Bernard was quick to take it. It wasn't often that the elves actually got to see the children that they would be making toys for, and being able to shake the hand of a young child potential of receiving one of their gifts was an extraordinary feat.

"Hiya, sport!" The elf greeted, his grumpy mood temporarily evaporating into one of supposed joy.

"Hey, Dad, he called me "sport" just like you!" said Charlie, smiling and nudging his father.

"Wonderful." Scott nodded curtly.

"Hey, you know what?" Bernard smiled down at the young child. "I got something for you,"

Scott groaned, his patience beginning to wearing thin.

"Okay, now hold out your hand, all right?" the elf said, reaching into his satchel to retrieve something. "Now, be very careful. This is very old, just like me." He handed the young boy a shiny silver globe that was infused with magical powers.

Normally the elf would never give out a gift of such extravagance. But he got the feeling that the child would find more joy in knowing of the new Santa's whereabouts than he would. With how far behind he and the rest of the elves were on their new year's schedule, he doubted that he'd have much time to keep tabs on the new Santa anyway.

"Shake it up, Charlie," Bernard encouraged him, watching the child's face light up once the silver ball did its magic.

"Why don't you, uh, hold onto it for me for a while?" Bernard smiled lopsided. "It might come in handy."

"Thanks," Charlie beamed. "Thanks a lot! I promise I'll take real good care of it."

"Make sure you do." Bernard said, wagging a finger at him.

"I will."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Let me explain something to you, okay?" Bernard said in a much quieter tone, putting a hand on Scott's arm, and ushering him through the workshop.

"Toys have to be delivered. I'm not gonna do it. It's not my job. I'm just an elf. It's Santa's job, but Santa fell off a roof, _your_ roof. You read the card, you put on the suit. That clearly falls under the Santa Clause, so now you're Santa, okay?" He said irritably, as he let go of Scott's arm and stopped to stand in front of him.

"A question;" Scott said.

"What?" Bernard all but snapped.

"When can I get outta here?"

Just then Charlie ran up to him and Bernard, the magic snow globe in his hand.

"Dad, you gotta see this place!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"You leave tomorrow morning." Bernard explained. "You have 11 months to get your affairs in order, and you're due back here Thanksgiving." He said a little more easily.

"I'm not coming back here on Thanksgiving!" Scott protested.

 _Not coming back?_ the older elf thought, _who did he think he was? The new Santa?_

 _Oh right..._

 _He guessed he'd have to accommodate him after all.._

"I'll. Ship. The. List. To. Your. _House_." Bernard suggested through gritted teeth.

"What list?" Scott asked, dim-lit as ever.

"Come on, now," Bernard half smiled, hoping that this was a joke and not a real inquiry. "The _list_." Bernard raised his brows to see if it registered with him. But Scott still seemed bewildered.

Bernard looked away from him, exasperated, then quickly looked back and half sung, half mumbled; "He's making a list,"

"Checking it twice," Charlie chipped in, only much louder.

Then the entire workshop instinctively sung back; "Gonna find out who's naughty or nice,"

Bernard looked all about the large room full of jolly, singing elves, and then covered his face for a brief second in shame.

" _Ugh_ ," He said in annoyance. " _Look_ , you put a "P" next to the kids who are nice and a "C" next to the naughty ones."

""P" and "C"?" Scott questioned, scrunching up his face in confusion.

"Yeah!" Charlie said, ""P" for present, "C" for coal, right, Bernard?"

"Right!" Bernard said with a nod, and then turned away and began walking off.

At least _someone_ understood it. With any luck the kid could just help him, and all the hard stuff would be taken off his back.

"Wait a minute! How do I know who's good and bad?" Scott protested.

Or not.

"You'll know," the elf assured him, trying once more to get back to the real task at hand; making sure everything ran smoothly for the coming Christmas.

"What if I don't want to do this?" Scott grumbled, interrupting the older elf's preporational thoughts.

Bernard stopped in his tracks.

His face reflecting that of horror, as he spun himself around to face the new Santa.

"Don't even _kid_ about a thing like that!"

"Why not? What if I don't buy into this 'Santa Clause' thing? What if I choose _not_ to believe it?"

Just then, every elf in the workshop quit working, and turned around in their seats to face him.

"Then there would be _millions_ of disappointed children around the world." Bernard said, unflinching. "You see, children hold the spirit of Christmas within their hearts. You wouldn't want to be responsible for killing the spirit of Christmas, now, would you...Santa?"

Scott winced. He was just trying to make a point, not destroy all joy from children around the world as he knew it. But the older elf looked hurt, more so than offended, and that only made him feel worse about it.

Bernard stalked off again, talking over his shoulder.

"Judy will take you to your room. Get out of the suit, it needs to be cleaned."

"And taken in." Scott felt the need to add, if only to get his mind off what he'd previously been told.

"Then get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do and only a year in which to do it,"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

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 **A/N - Let me know if there are any typos or grammatical errors. I'm trying to brush up on my spelling.**


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